Anthea McGibbon, Staff Reporter

Model Kerry-Ann Bercher's dress-and-jacket ensemble is ideal for the working world, but she can shed the jacket for an after-work jam. - Photos by Norman Grindley/Acting Photo Editor

DRESSING IS sometimes nail-biting self-torture as you rummage through your closet trying to find that perfect pair of pants or delightful dress that will cause an eye-popping, jaw-dropping tremor on the fashion scale. Then, blank! After tossing everything aside, you realise there are so many clothes, but so few to choose from to suit Jamaica's climate.

Expert Les Campbell, a fashion designer for more than 20 years, believes Jamaicans, across the board, tend to select wrong styles and fabric.

Observing that citizens often get hooked by glitzy fashion trends in movies, he offers a few tips for dressing suitably for luncheons, the office or after-parties in the tropics.

First, the master couturier recommends cotton, cotton mixes (such as with polyester) or silk as ideal fabric for Jamaica's warm climate. Silk cools you down in the heat, but warms you when the temperature drops, he says.

Dressing factors

One of the main purposes of clothing, according to Campbell, is to make one look 'elegant and sexy', but Jamaicans should consider the challenges of their physique and appearance when shopping.

Factors such as the length of the neckline, skin tone, shape and size of the body, facial features, and gender should be key criteria for choosing that drop-dead gorgeous dress that you swore had your name on it but was really a death sentence without parole when you squeezed into it.

It's also very important to select your garment manufacturer and/or designer wisely, especially when it comes to the completion of the made-up garment.

Hallmark of elegance

Campbell believes that florals and bright colours enhance dark skin tones. On the matter of style, he says simplicity is the hallmark of elegance, so he tells Jamaicans to stay away from too many intricate cuts and forgettable frills.

The term 'casually elegant' is increasingly the set mode for most occasions.

For men, it might mean black pants worn with a soft floral or a nice dress shirt. For women, a little red or black dress would be suitable.

When visiting the designer, tailor or dressmaker, women should be mindful of their neck and body size. Men should focus on height and body proportion. Women with long necks may need to wear turtlenecks. Larger-size women with big thighs should wear hanging clothes, while slim persons should wear fitted clothes.

Petite persons should wear knee-length or garments above the knee.

Please share your thoughts, or send your questions and/or requests to anthea.mcgibbon@gleanerjm.com.

This is another edition of The Gleaner's new feature, 'How to ...', an instruction guide, giving practical advice on a range of problems as diverse as head-scratching fix-it mountains to seemingly routine mole hills.

Golden links

http://suityourself.com/warm_

weather_dressing_tips_steve_brinkman.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_2075484_dress-hunting-warm-weather.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

http://www.ehow.com/how_3391540_dress-warm-weather-black-tie.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

http://www.ehow.com/how_8012_choose-warm-weather.html